they want these to be about boehner and obama. last time it happened was the 2011 debt ceiling negotiations and that didn't really turn out so well. >> why would that be their aim? >> they want to make this about the president and boehner. and they think they can get a better deal that way. the pro who white house strategy is to have this happen at the staff level and the president float above it and go out and make his case to the country. as he did later in 2011 on the extension of the payroll tax holiday. they really feel that the more they have, the president sort of down on boehner's level, the worse things are going to go. >> anna marie, i want to get your take on something that democratic senator claire mccaskill said on "meet the press," about the choice that republicans face. take a listen. >> they're going to get stuck with a raising of the rates of the top 2%. either in a very painful way. or in a way that we can all suffer a little bit. address all three legs of the stool. entitlements, cuts, and revenues, in a way tha